The royal made a major renovation to the item before wearing it public.
Like a true royal, Queen Elizabeth was well known for her enviable tiara and jewelry collection. One of her most precious items was actually a $6 million gift from her father, George VI, that was given to her upon her November 20, 1947, wedding to Prince Philip.
The gift in question was a gorgeous sapphire set from George’s personal collection, which included a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a matching bracelet. The Court Jeweller reported, “We don’t know precisely where he sourced the pieces, but we do know that they were made during the reign of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. The jewelry writer Leslie Field dates the necklace and earrings to 1850.”
Maxwell Stone, jewelry expert and creative director of Steven Stone, explained that "the incredible sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, sat on a gradient, ranging from 8 to 30 carats, before it was redesigned in 1952." The opulent pieces of jewelry held several "huge sapphires" that were cradled "by a halo of diamonds, and linked together by additional single stone diamonds."
After adding a large sapphire to the center of the necklace, giving the piece of jewelry a drop shape, Elizabeth was then spotted wearing the jewels frequently during royal events. According to Stone, the earrings alone "look to be around 15 carats," and though Elizabeth wasn't spotted often wearing the bracelet, the entire set contains immense value. "Altogether, the King George VI Victorian Suite is likely to be worth £5,000,000 [approximately $6.3 million]," the jewelry expert explained.
The sapphire set hasn’t been seen in recent months, but Queen Camilla most recently sported Elizabeth’s jewels in the form of the Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara for the Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace on November 19.